Dual-Spray Reduced Sugar Coating System and Method

ABSTRACT

A system and method for applying a reduced sugar coating to a food product is provided. The system uses separate applications (simultaneous or sequential) of a non-sucrose carbohydrate syrup from a first applicator and a sucrose syrup from a second applicator. The dual applications of the syrups are applied without an active drying step between applications. The process results in a coated food product with reduced clumping and a desired crystallized appearance even with the reduced levels of sugar.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional application No.62/637,529, filed on Mar. 2, 2018. The entire contents of theaforementioned application are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentirety.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to a system and method forapplying a reduced sugar coating to a food product, and moreparticularly to a system and method for applying a reduced sugar coatingto a food product using separate applications of a non-sucrosecarbohydrate syrup and a sucrose syrup.

BACKGROUND

Consumers often desire food products, such as breakfast cereals tosuggest an example, that are lower in sugar content while providing manyof the same organoleptic characteristics, such as taste, texture, and/orappearance as traditionally-sugared products. Breakfast cereals mayinclude a sugar-based coating or frosting that is often central to thetaste, texture, and/or appearance characteristics of the food. Whenattempting to reduce the level of sugar in the coating, however, simplylowering the sugar content of the coating can be problematic duringprocessing and affect the appearance of the product. Using a reducedsugar content coating within conventional processing equipment, such asa spray drum or other applicator, can result in undesirable clumping ofindividual cereal pieces.

Additionally, the reduced sugar coatings may also result in undesiredtexture and/or appearance. Consumer acceptance of foods is often acomplex mix of many organoleptic characteristics including taste,mouthfeel, perception, smell, and other objective and subjectivefactors. For instance, a pleasantly tasting food may not be accepted byconsumers if the color or appearance of the food suggests otherwise.Appearance of a frosted or iced product, to suggest another example, maybe one of the drivers of sweetness perception and likeness of theproduct with some consumers. The desired white or opaque coating offrosted products, such as on ready-to-eat (RTE) breakfast-type cereals,may be due in part to a diffraction of light hitting crystalized sugarin the frosting or coating. Thus, while reducing the level of sugar inthe coating may be beneficial to consumer demands for lowersugar-content foods, simply lowering the sugar content can beproblematic with other likeness factors because of the sugar's role inproviding more than just sweetness to the food. Reducing sugar cannegatively affect the white, opaque appearance that consumers come toexpect in a frosted or iced product due to a decreased level of sugarcrystals to provide light detraction. A less white or opaque coating maythen negatively affect perception of the product even if the productmeets consumer desires for lower sugar content.

SUMMARY

In one aspect of this disclosure, described herein is a process forproducing a reduced sugar coated food product with a reduction in foodproduct clumping, the process includes applying a sucrose syrup todiscrete food product pieces from a first applicator, applying anon-sucrose carbohydrate syrup to the discrete food product pieces froma second applicator either simultaneously with, spaced from, orsequentially with the sucrose syrup applied from the first applicator.In some aspects, the food product is not actively dried between applyingthe sucrose syrup and the non-sucrose carbohydrate syrup. A combinationof the sucrose syrup and the non-sucrose carbohydrate syrup has a brixof less than 90 (in other approaches, about 60 to about 85, and in yetother approaches, about 60 to about 75) obtained from about 20 to about50 weight percent sucrose and about 20 to about 50 percent non-sucrosecarbohydrates, by weight of the total syrups.

The process of the previous paragraph may include one or more of thefollowing additional features: wherein the non-sucrose carbohydratesyrup includes maltodextrin, corn syrup, glucose syrup, soluble fiber,soluble and insoluble starches, cocoa and its derivatives, natural andartificial flavors, natural and artificial sweeteners, natural andartificial colors, and combinations thereof; and/or wherein the firstapplicator and second applicator are disposed within a single mixingapparatus; and/or wherein the sucrose syrup is applied at a temperatureof about 105 to about 120° C. and the non-sucrose carbohydrate syrup isapplied at a temperature of about 50 to about 110° C.; and/or whereinthe sucrose syrup is applied at a rate of about 15 to about 65% of therate of the food product, by weight, and the non-sucrose carbohydratesyrup is applied at a rate of about 15 to about 65% of the rate of thefood product, by weight; and/or wherein the temperature of the sucrosesyrup is about 10 to about 60° C. higher than a temperature of thenon-sucrose carbohydrate syrup; and/or wherein an application ratio ofthe sucrose syrup to the non-sucrose syrup is about 1:3 to about 3:1.

In another aspect, described herein is a system for producing a reducedsugar coated food product having a reduced amount of food productclumping. The system may include a source of a food product, a coatingdrum for receiving the food product, the coating drum having a firstapplicator in a first region and a second applicator in a second region.The first applicator may be fluidly connected to a source of a firstsyrup and the second applicator is fluidly connected to a source of asecond syrup. One of the first syrup and the second syrup is anon-sucrose carbohydrate syrup and the other of the first syrup and thesecond syrup is a sucrose syrup.

The system of the previous paragraph may include one or more of thefollowing additional features: wherein the non-sucrose carbohydratesyrup includes maltodextrin, corn syrup, glucose syrup, soluble fiber,soluble and insoluble starches, cocoa and its derivatives, natural andartificial flavors, natural and artificial sweeteners, natural andartificial colors, and combinations thereof; and/or wherein the firstregion is located upstream of the second region relative to the movementof food product through the coating drum; and/or wherein the system isdevoid of any active drying mechanisms positioned between the firstapplicator and the second applicator.

In yet another aspect, described herein is a reduced sugar coated foodproduct comprising a food product base coated with a reduced sugarcoating. The reduced sugar coating includes at least a dried non-sucrosecarbohydrate syrup and a dried sucrose syrup. The reduced sugar coatinghas a brix of less than 90 (in other approaches, about 60 to about 85,and in yet other approaches, about 60 to about 75). The reduced sugarcoating has a white opaque crystallized appearance. Optionally, the foodproduct base may be a cereal. In some aspects, the reduced sugar coatingis applied according to any of the method steps and/or using systemfeatures of the previous paragraphs of this summary.

DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only ofselected configurations and not all possible implementations, and arenot intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a schematic of an example dual spray applicator method orsystem.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for applying a reduced sugarcoating to a comestible, such as a flake, granule, particulate, biscuit,nugget, and the like discrete comestibles or discrete food productpieces, in a manner that reduces and/or eliminates the tendency ofproduct clumping of the discrete pieces during processing. At the sametime, the unique systems and methods herein mimic the appearance of awhite, crystalized coating on the food product pieces even with reducedlevels of sugar. In some approaches, the coatings herein have about 15to about 75% less sugar than traditional coatings on frosted typecereals. One example of the methods and systems herein relates toreduced sugar coatings for a flaked food product (such as a frostedflaked cereal) to achieve minimal to no product clumping duringmanufacturing and to achieve a white, opaque crystalized-type coating onthe outer surfaces of the flaked food consistent with prior, traditionalcoated cereals. However, the methods and compositions herein may also beapplied to other coated foods as needed for a particular application.

As discussed more below, a process for producing a reduced sugar coatedfood product with a reduction in food product clumping is describedherein. It was unexpectedly discovered that separating a reduced sugarcoating solution into two separate solutions dramatically dropped theinstances of product clumping during processing as compared to a single,reduced-sugar coating application that contained the same components asthe two separate solutions. At the same time, the selected two coatingsolutions, when recombined during application, provide a whitecrystalized coating that mimics the appearance of a traditional sugarcoating that consumers tend to expect on a frosted breakfast cereal orother coated food item. The white, opaque appearance was unexpectedlyachieved when applying two separate solutions and was not achievablewhen applying the same reduced, sugar components in a single solution.In one aspect, the methods include applying to discrete food productpieces a non-sucrose carbohydrate syrup from a first applicator and thenor simultaneously applying a sucrose syrup to the food product from asecond applicator. In either case, there is no active drying between theapplications of each syrup.

Turning to more of the specifics, FIG. 1 shows a schematic for a processand/or system 2 for producing a reduced sugar coated food product with areduction in food product clumping during processing. In process orsystem 2, a coating device or chamber 4 receives at least two separatefeeds of a first syrup 6 (such as, a reduced-sugar syrup) and a secondsyrup 8 (such as, a non-sucrose carbohydrate syrup). The separate syrupfeeds are provided to separate applicators, injectors, spray nozzles,and the like (not shown in FIG. 1) within the coating drum 4 arrangedand configured to apply the respective solutions to the food productpieces either tumbled in or passing through the device 4. The firstsyrup 6 may be fed to a first applicator (such as a spray nozzle), insome instances, proximal to an inlet of the coating drum 4 and thesecond syrup 8 may be applied through a separate, second applicator(such as a spray nozzle) spaced from or distal to the coating druminlet. Alternatively, the second syrup 8 may be fed to the applicatorproximal to the inlet of the coating drum 4 and first syrup 6 to thesecond applicator spaced from or distal to the coating drum inlet.

A source of food product to be coated 10 (e.g., flake, crumb,particulate, granule, biscuit, nugget, or the like cereal-type product)is fed to the coating drum 4 and then the first and second syrups 6 and8 are applied to the food therein in either a simultaneous and/orsequential manner (from the two spaced applicators) to form a nowcombined, partially combined, and/or layered coating (or combinationsthereof) on the discrete food product piece(s). There is no activedrying, such as air heating, inductive heating, heating coils, or anyother type of active heating, applied to the coating drum and to theproduct therein before, during, or between the application of the firstand second syrups 6 and 8.

Next, the coated food product 12 is transferred to a drying unit 14,such as a multi-stage or multi-pass dryer, to dry the applied syrupcoating(s) on the food product. Optionally, the dried product may thenbe sent to a cooler 16 and then processed in a manner for packing 18suitable or typical for the particular product being manufactured.

The combined first and second syrups 6 and 8, when applied to the foodproduct 10, provide a coating thereon when dried and recombined having areduced level of sugar and a white, opaque and crystalized appearance.The combined coating of 6 and 8 have a reduced level of sugar comparedto prior products, such as about 15 to about 75% less sucrose or othersugars. In another aspect, the re-combined two coating solutions, evenwith less sugar, still exhibits a brix value of less than about 90, inother approaches, about 60 to about 85, in other approaches, about 60 toabout 75, and in yet further approaches, about 70 to about 85.

Sugar Syrup:

In one aspect, the first syrup 6 is a sucrose or sugar syrup andincludes about 60 to about 90 weight percent sugar in water or otherliquid. (In other approaches, about 70 to about 85 weight percent sugar,and in yet other approaches, about 77 to about 83 weight percent sugarin water or other liquid, and in yet other approaches, about 50 to about70 percent sugar) The syrup may have about 10 to about 50 percent water,in other approaches, about 15 to about 25 percent water, and in yetother approaches, about 20 to about 40 percent water.

The first syrup 6 may optionally include other flavors and additives,including cocoa and its derivatives, soluble and insoluble starches,natural and artificial flavors, natural and artificial sweeteners,natural and artificial colors, and mixtures thereof. If included, theseoptional flavors and other additives may be provided in amounts of nomore than about 30 weight percent and, in some instances, less thanabout 1 percent or about 1 to about 10 weight percent.

In some approaches, the first, sugar syrup 6 individually may be a sugarsyrup designed to provide a reduced sugar content to the combinedcoating (that is, when combined with syrup 8) and having a reduced sugarcontent compared to a traditional syrup, such as a brix below about 90,and in other approaches, a brix value of about 70 to about 85, and inyet other approaches, a brix value of about 77 to about 83. It istargeted that this sucrose syrup 6 is applied at a rate of about 15% toabout 65% the rate of substrate (by weight) and at a solutiontemperature of about 105 to about 120° C.

Non-Sucrose Carbohydrate-Based Syrup:

In another aspect, the second syrup 8 is a non-sucrose containingcarbohydrate-based syrup including one or more non-sugar bulking agentsselected form maltodextrin, corn syrup, glucose syrup, soluble fibers,soluble and insoluble starches, cocoa and its derivatives, natural andartificial flavors, natural and artificial sweeteners, natural andartificial colors, and combinations thereof. One example of a reducedsugar corn syrup is VeraSyra® reduced sugar corn syrup (Cargill).Another example of a reduced sugar glucose syrup is C Sweet™ glucosesyrup (Cargill). This second syrup 8 is substantially free of sucroseand, thus, the systems and methods herein separate a coating solutioninto two distinct solutions wherein the sugar/sucrose is applied in afirst syrup and a second, non-sucrose containing syrup is provided toseparately deliver the non-sucrose carbohydrate components to the foodproduct pieces either simultaneously, sequentially, and/or physicallyspaced from the first syrup. It is was surprisingly discovered that byseparating a single coating into two separate solutions that are appliedeither sequentially, simultaneously, and/or spaced apart to a food thatclumping of the individual or discrete food product pieces duringprocessing can be minimized and substantially avoided. At the same time,the resultant coating, even with reduced levels of sugar, tend to mimicthe white, opaque appearance of a traditional coating.

In some approaches of this aspect, the second syrup 8 may include about50 to about 90 weight percent of the non-sugar bulking agent and, inother approaches, about 50 to about 80, and in yet other approaches,about 65 to about 75 weight percent of the non-sugar bulking agents.Preferably, the non-sugar bulking agent may be adjusted on a weightpercent basis to account for overall system limitations—such limitationsinclude viscosity, pressure, temperature, and/or drying capacity. Thesecond syrup 8 may optionally include other flavors and additives,including chocolate flavors, cocoa powder, chocolate liquor, soluble andinsoluble starches, cocoa and its derivatives, natural and artificialflavors, natural and artificial sweeteners, natural and artificialcolors and mixtures thereof. If included, these optional flavors andother additives may be provided in amounts of no more than about 40weight percent and, in some instances, no more than about 30 weightpercent, and in some instances, less than about 1 percent, or about 1 toabout 10 weight percent. The second, non-sucrose carbohydrate basedsyrup 8 may also include less than about 50 percent water, such as about20 to about 50 percent water, in other approaches, about 25 to about 35percent water, and in other approaches, about 1 to about 20 percentwater.

The second, non-sucrose, carbohydrate-based syrup 8 individually isapplied at a rate of about 15% to about 65% the rate of substrate (byweight) and at a temperature of about 50 to about 110° C.

In some approaches, selected non-sucrose bulking agents have a dextroseequivalent or DE of about 5 to about 30 and, in other approaches, about10 to about 20.

As used herein, non-sucrose or substantially free of sucrose, forinstance, in the second syrup 8 generally means less than about 0.5percent sucrose, in other cases, less than about 0.2 weight percentsucrose, in yet further cases, less than about 0.1 weight percentsucrose, and in yet other cases, no sucrose.

The spray of the first and second syrup to the substrate forms a coatingon the surface of the substrate. The coating has random areas of mixed,unmixed, and/or partially mixed first and second applied syrups on thevarious surfaces of the substrate food piece(s). For example, there maybe some areas on a substrate with higher sugar concentration (mostlysugar syrup), some areas of high non-sugar bulking concentration (mostlynon-sugar carbohydrate syrup), and some areas with more even mixing ofthe two syrups. Individual substrate pieces may also vary in terms ofthe ratio of the syrups and the degree of mixing. On the whole, limitedmixing of the two syrups is expected due to the tumbling action in thecoating drum apparatus. Areas of higher sugar concentration and areas ofhigher non-sugar bulking concentration were observed, suggesting limitedmixing on the coated products.

In some approaches, various process conditions can be selected to helpaid in achieving low clumping and good coating appearance of thediscrete food pieces herein when separating a single coating into twoseparate coatings. In some approaches, rates of discrete food product orpieces through the apparatus, application rates of the syrups relativeto each other, as well as relative temperatures of the syrups can beselected to achieve the desired coating thickness and quality of thereduced sugar coating. Additionally, a desired ratio of the two syrupsas well as the desired overall brix of the coating may be selected toachieve a white, opaque coating with minimal product clumping. Inanother aspect, therefore, the methods and systems herein apply thefirst and second syrup 6 and 8 at relative temperatures so that thetemperature of the sucrose syrup 6 is about 10 to about 60° C. higherthan a temperature of the non-sucrose carbohydrate syrup 8. In otherinstances, an application ratio of the sucrose syrup 6 to thenon-sucrose syrup 8 is about 1:2 to about 3:1, and in other approaches,about 1:2 to about 1:1, and in yet other approaches, about 2:1 to about3:1.

As noted above, it was quite unexpected that separating the individualingredients of a coating syrup into two separate solutions and thenspraying those solutions sequentially, simultaneously, or physicallyspaced apart onto a food product to form a single coating on the food(as described above) would result in reduced levels of clumping of foodpieces as compared to spraying the same components and amounts as asingle solution. Without wishing to be limited by theory, it is believedthat when a reduced-sugar coating is applied as a single solution, thereare cohesive and adhesive forces of the solution when applied todiscrete food pieces. It is believed that in the context of a singlecoating solution that these cohesive and adhesive forces of the solutiontend to allow the coating to stick to the food piece and also toadjacent food pieces to a high degree. When a coated food piece comesinto contact with an adjacent coated food piece coating with a singlesolution, the cohesive forces (that is, syrup to syrup binding) aregreater than or equal to the adhesive forces (that is, syrup to productbinding). In this circumstance, product clumping tends to be enhancedand the discrete pieces of coated product are stuck together whenprocessed in a coating drum or other coating apparatus.

Again, without wishing to be limited by theory, when the coatingsolutions are separated and applied sequentially and/or simultaneouslywithout active drying as in the present disclosure, product clumping isdramatically reduced. In this context, it is believed that when thesolutions are separated, it is possible that the dynamic binding forcesof the coating and product are altered so that the cohesive forces(again, syrup to syrup binding) is now less than the adhesive forces(syrup to product binding), which tends to result in lower clumping.This effect is completely unexpected because the separate solutions havethe same components and in the same amounts as the single solution, butwhen separated into differently applied solutions result in distinctlylower level of product clumping.

As discussed above, the second syrup 8 is applied separately (i.e., viaa separate applicator) from the reduced sugar syrup 6, but with noactive drying step in between the applications. For example, the reducedsugar syrup 6 and second syrup 8 may be applied within a singleapparatus 4 (e.g., a coating drum). After applying each individual syrup6 and 8 with no active drying, the syrups 6 and 8 are combined as asingle coating on the food product surface. A single reduced sugarcoating is then formed on the surface of the food product from the twocombined coatings. The reduced sugar coating comprises a combination ofthe first syrup (reduced sugar syrup) 6 and the second syrup 8. Thecombined total reduced sugar coating may have a brix less than about 90(e.g., from about 70 to about 85 or about 60 to about 75). The reducedsugar coating may have a crystallized appearance. The crystallizedappearance may be a white and/or opaque crystalline appearance. Thiswhite and/or opaque crystalline appearance may be distinguishable from aclear-coated appearance.

When combined, the total coating solution from the two separate syrupsmay have in total about 20 to about 50 percent sugar (in otherapproaches, about 20 to about 35 percent sugar); about 20 to about 50percent non-sugar bulking agent (in other approaches, about 35 to about50 percent non-sugar bulking agent); about 20 to about 50 percent water(in other approaches, about 15 to about 30 percent water); and about 0to about 40 percent other flavors, additives (cocoa, chocolate, salt,flavors, rice, etc. and other added ingredients).

In one approach, the food products are coated with the two separatecoating solutions/syrups via two separate or dual spray nozzles. In someembodiments, the food product is a cereal such as a flake, biscuit,granule, particulate, nugget, or other type of cereal with discrete foodproduct pieces. For example, the food product may be a flake cereal(e.g., corn flakes) or a crisped rice cereal.

During processing with the unique dual application of separate solutionswith no active drying, the reduced sugar-coated food products may havelittle or no clumping. Clumping refers to multiple discrete pieces ofthe food product (e.g., flakes of a flake cereal) sticking together toform a mass that is not readily broken apart by normal processing andhandling of the food product. In particular, the reduced sugar-coatedfood products made using the dual spray process described herein mayhave reduced clumping as compared to a single spray process where allcoating ingredients are applied as a single application of a singlesyrup (having both a reduced sugar syrup component and a second (e.g.sucrose) syrup component).

The syrups can be applied to the food product using any suitableapplicator. One suitable apparatus is a coating drum 4 having at leasttwo applicators therein, which are preferably two spaced spray nozzles.The coating drum may be outfitted with a first sprayer and a secondsprayer, connected to a first syrup source and second syrup source,respectively. The sprayers may be positioned with the first sprayerproximal to the inlet to the coating drum and the second sprayer distalto the inlet of the coating drum, so as to sequentially spray the syrupsonto the food product within a spatial arrangement in the coating drum(spray nozzles may be simultaneously spraying, but from their spacedapart positions). Alternatively, the sprayers may be positioned at thesame or close to the same position along the length of the coating drumso as to simultaneously spray the syrups onto the food product.Additional process equipment may include dryers, coolers, conveyors,packing equipment, pumps, heaters, heat exchangers, storage tanks, etc.Nonetheless, even if the applicators are spaced apart within a coatingdrum, the applicators are preferably applying their respective solutionsat the same time, but due to the spatial arrangement that applicationmay be sequentially applied to the individual food product pieces asthey are moved through the coating drum.

The coating drum may comprise a rotary tumbler with length and diametercalculated to accommodate the product flow. The rotary tumbler may havebaffles inside to enhance the tumbling action. The rotation speed andtumbler tilt angle may be adjusted to achieve the required friction andresidence time. The applicators (e.g., sprayers) in the apparatus (e.g.,coating drum) may comprise multiple applicators spread out along thelength and/or width of the apparatus.

The practice and advantages of the disclosed embodiments may bedemonstrated by the following Examples, which are presented for purposesof illustration and not limitation. Unless indicated otherwise, allamounts, percentages, and ratios of this disclosure are by weight.

Examples Comparative Example 1

This Comparative Example evaluates a process of applying a singlereduced-sugar syrup to a crisped rice cereal using a single spraynozzle. Comparative syrup C1.1 was prepared as shown in Table 1 as asingle solution or syrup.

TABLE 1 Syrup C1.1 Ingredient Amount (lbs) %, wt Water 115 20.5% Sugar(fine granulated) 150 26.8% Cocoa 44.1 7.9% Chocolate Liquor 12.6 2.2%Glucose syrup 239 42.6%

Comparative Syrup C1.1 having the composition of Table 1 above wassprayed to a substrate (crisped rice cereal) using a spray system withina small scale coating drum at a rate of about 2.85 lb/min of syrup forevery 5.5 lb/min of substrate. Comparative Syrup C1.1 was a singlecomposition comprising water, sugar, and a non-sucrose,carbohydrate-based syrup (“glucose syrup” in Table 1) in one solution.This solution was considered a reduced sugar syrup because it includedabout 26.8% sugar, which is about 50% less than a traditional syrup forthis type of cereal. The syrup was applied via a single spray.Comparative Syrup C1.1 had a brix of about 67 and was applied at asolution temperature of about 185° F.

Upon drying the product to about 3% moisture content, large blocks(clumps) of coated cereal pieces (reduced sugar coated crisped ricecereal) were observed. The blocks measured about 10 inches wide by about4 inches tall by about 8 inches long. These large blocks did not readilybreak apart upon dropping from a discharge of the dryer/cooler in theprocess.

Example 1

The single syrup of Comparative Example 1 was split into the two,inventive separate syrups of Table 2—a sucrose syrup and a non-sucrosecarbohydrate-based syrup so that when sprayed on to the product, thecombined two syrups provided the same composition as the single syrup ofComparative Example 1 (but obtained from two separate syrups and twoseparate spray heads). The syrups were applied to the same food asComparative Example 1 and using the same spray nozzle and apparatus,except that two separate spray nozzles were utilized—one for each syrup.The syrups were applied simultaneously while the drum rotated.

TABLE 2 Syrups 1.1 and 1.2 % by weight %, by weight Amount (individual(combined Ingredient (lbs) solutions) solutions) Sucrose Syrup Water 7533.3% 20.5% Sugar (fine granulated) 150 66.7% 26.8% Non-SucroseCarbohydrate-Based Syrup Water 40 11.9% (included in water % above)Cocoa 44.1 13.1% 7.9% Chocolate Liquor 12.6 3.8% 2.2% Glucose syrup 23971.2% 42.6%

The sucrose syrup of Table 2 was mixed to about 67% solids and thenheated to concentrate to about 82% solids. The non-sucrosecarbohydrate-based syrup of Table 2 contained reduced sugar corn syrup(glucose syrup in Table 2) and the other ingredients consistent withComparative Example 1. The syrups were applied to about 5.5 lbs/min ofcrisped rice cereal at rate of about 0.94 lb/min for the sucrose syrupand about 1.71 lb/min for the non-sucrose carbohydrate-based syrup. Thesyrups were applied via separate spray nozzles. The sucrose syrup wasapplied first and the non-sucrose carbohydrate-based syrup was appliedsecond. The first and second applications refer to the position withinthe drum—where first would be at the location closer to therice/substrate entrance and second would be at a location closer to thedrum exit. The sucrose syrup had a brix of about 80 and was applied atsyrup temperature of about 230° F. The non-sucrose carbohydrate-basedsyrup had a solids concentration of about 67 percent and was applied ata syrup temperature of about 185° F.

Upon drying the product to about 3% moisture, it was observed thatmostly free flowing coated cereal pieces were formed (reduced sugarcoated crisped rice cereal) and there were only occasional small lumps(about 3 inches in diameter). The occasional small lumps readily brokeapart in subsequent handling of the product via conveyors.

The syrups were then applied under the same conditions but in reverseorder with the non-sucrose carbohydrate-based syrup applied first. Thisalso resulted in free flowing product with only occasional small lumpsthat readily broke apart.

Example 2

Another Example was performed of an inventive dual spray, reduced sugarcoated crisped rice cereal using the two separate syrups of Table 3.

TABLE 3 Syrups 2.1 and 2.2 % by weight % by weight Amount (individual(combined Ingredient (lbs) solutions) solutions) Sucrose Syrup Water 7530.3% 17.6% Sugar (fine granulated) 150 62.5% 27.7% Cocoa 22.05 9.2%8.2% Non-sucrose Carbohydrate-based Syrup Water 20 6.8% (included inabove) Cocoa 22.05 7.5% (included in above) Chocolate Liquor 12.6 4.3%2.3% Glucose syrup 239 81.4% 44.2%

In this formulation, the cocoa was split between the two syrups, thesucrose syrup and the non-sucrose carbohydrate-based syrup, and theamount of water in the reduced sugar syrup was reduced compared toExample 1. The two syrups were applied to a crisped rice cereal asdescribed in Example 1 through separate spray nozzles to about 5.5lbs/min of crisped rice cereal at a rate of about 1.25 lbs/min for thesucrose syrup and about 1.49 lbs/min for the non-sucrosecarbohydrate-based syrup. The syrups were applied via separate sprays.The sucrose syrup was applied first, and the non-sucrose carbohydratesyrup was applied second. The sucrose syrup had a brix of about 67 andwas applied at a solution temperature of about 180° F. The non-sucrosecarbohydrate syrup had a solids concentration of about 67 percent andwas applied a solution temperature of about 185° F.

Similar to Example 1, upon drying the product to about 3% moisture,mostly free flowing finished product (reduced sugar coated crisped ricecereal) was observed with only occasional small lumps (about 3 inches indiameter). The occasional small lumps readily broke apart in subsequenthandling of the product via conveyors. Compared to Example 1, theproduct appeared darker, which may be attributable to splitting thecocoa powder into two separate spray applications.

The two syrups were then applied under the same conditions but inreverse order with the non-sucrose carbohydrate syrup applied first.This also resulted in free flowing product with only occasional smalllumps that readily broke apart. A darker color (compared to Example 1)was again observed.

Comparative Example 2

Another single solution, comparative example was performed following theformulation in Table 4 below. The solution was applied to corn flakes.

TABLE 4 Ingredient Amount (lbs) % by weight Water 100 24.8% Maltodextrin(Dry 5DE) 100 24.8% Rice hull fiber 3.5  0.9% Sugar (fine granulated)200 49.6% Salt (granulated, SI) 0.25  <1%

The comparative syrup of Table 4 was applied to corn flakes at a rate ofabout 1.8 lb/min for every about 6 lb/min of corn flakes. Thecomparative syrup of Table 4 was applied through a single spray nozzleand was a single composition including water and a non-sucrose,carbohydrate-based syrup (maltodextrin). The syrup had a brix of about72 and was applied at a solution temperature of about 140° F.

Upon drying the product to about 3% moisture, hard clumps were againobserved in the finished product (reduced sugar coated corn flakes). Theclumps measured about 4 inches in diameter and did not readily breakapart upon dropping from the discharge of the dryer/cooler or duringsubsequent handling of the product. The coated product also had a clearcoated appearance and did not resemble a traditional white coated cornflake.

Example 3

Another inventive, dual spray, reduced sugar coated corn flake cerealwas prepared by applying two syrups to the corn flakes as shown in Table5 below.

TABLE 5 Syrups 3.1 and 3.2 % by weight % by weight Amount (individual(combined Ingredient (lbs) solutions) solutions) Non-sucroseCarbohydrate Syrup Water 120 28.1% 30.7% Maltodextrin 300 70.6% 34.2%Rice hull fiber 7  1.6%  0.8% Sucrose Syrup Water 150 33.3% (included inabove) Sugar (fine granulated) 300 66.6% 34.1% Salt (granulated, SI) 0.5 <1%  <1%

The non-sucrose carbohydrate syrup was applied to 6.0 lb/min of cornflakes at the rate of 1 lb/min of syrup and the sucrose syrup wasapplied to about 6 lb/min of the corn flakes at the rate of 0.93 lb/minof syrup. The non-sucrose carbohydrate based syrup had a solidsconcentration of about 61 percent and was applied at a solutiontemperature of about 165° F. The sucrose syrup had a brix of 82 and wasapplied at a solution temperature of about 232° F.

Upon drying the product to about 3% moisture, mostly free flowingfinished product (reduced sugar coated corn flakes) was observed withonly occasional small lumps/clusters (consisting of 3 or 4 flakes) whichreadily broke apart in subsequent handling of the product.

A modified formulation with no rice hull fiber also resulted in freeflowing product with only occasional small lumps/clusters (consisting of3 or 4 flakes) which readily broke apart in subsequent handling of theproduct. The product of this Example and the modified formulation bothhad a white opaque crystalline coated appearance.

Example configurations are provided above so that this disclosure willbe thorough, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to thoseof ordinary skill in the art. Specific details are set forth such asexamples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide athorough understanding of configurations of the present disclosure. Itwill be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that specificdetails need not be employed, that example configurations may beembodied in many different forms, and that the specific details and theexample configurations should not be construed to limit the scope of thedisclosure.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularexemplary configurations only and is not intended to be limiting. Asused herein, the singular articles “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intendedto include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearlyindicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,”and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence offeatures, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do notpreclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps,operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The methodsteps, processes, and operations described herein are not to beconstrued as necessarily requiring their performance in the particularorder discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as anorder of performance. Additional or alternative steps may be employed.

When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,”“connected to,” “attached to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer,it may be directly on, engaged, connected, attached, or coupled to theother element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may bepresent. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directlyon,” “directly engaged to,” “directly connected to,” “directly attachedto,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be nointervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe therelationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion(e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directlyadjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and allcombinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

The terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describevarious elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections. Theseelements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not belimited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish oneelement, component, region, layer or section from another region, layeror section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical termsdo not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by thecontext. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or sectiondiscussed below could be termed a second element, component, region,layer or section without departing from the teachings of the exampleconfigurations.

The foregoing description has been provided for purposes of illustrationand description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit thedisclosure. Individual elements or features of a particularconfiguration are generally not limited to that particularconfiguration, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can beused in a selected configuration, even if not specifically shown ordescribed. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations arenot to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all suchmodifications are intended to be included within the scope of thedisclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A process for producing a reduced sugar coatedfood product with a reduction in food product clumping, the processcomprising: applying a sucrose syrup to discrete food product piecesfrom a first applicator; applying a non-sucrose carbohydrate syrup tothe discrete food product pieces from a second applicator eithersimultaneously with or sequentially with the sucrose syrup applied fromthe first applicator; wherein the food product is not actively driedbetween applying the sucrose syrup and the non-sucrose carbohydratesyrup; and wherein a combination of the sucrose syrup and thenon-sucrose carbohydrate syrup has a brix of less than about 90 obtainedfrom about 20 to about 50 weight percent sucrose and about 20 to about50 percent non-sucrose carbohydrates, by weight of the total syrupscombined.
 2. The process of claim 1, wherein the non-sucrosecarbohydrate syrup includes maltodextrin, corn syrup, glucose syrup,soluble fiber, soluble and insoluble starches, cocoa and itsderivatives, natural and artificial flavors, natural and artificialsweeteners, natural and artificial colors, and combinations thereof. 3.The process of claim 1, wherein the first applicator and secondapplicator are disposed within a single mixing apparatus.
 4. The processof claim 1, wherein the sucrose syrup is applied at a temperature ofabout 105 to about 120° C. and the non-sucrose carbohydrate syrup isapplied at a temperature of about 50 to about 110° C.
 5. The process ofclaim 1, wherein the sucrose syrup is applied at a rate of about 15 toabout 65% of the rate of the food product, by weight, and thenon-sucrose carbohydrate syrup is applied at a rate of about 15 to about65% of the rate of the food product, by weight.
 6. The process of claim1, wherein the temperature of the sucrose syrup is about 10 to about 60°C. higher than a temperature of the non-sucrose carbohydrate syrup. 7.The process of claim 1, wherein an application ratio of the sucrosesyrup to the non-sucrose carbohydrate syrup is about 1:3 to about 3:1 byweight.
 8. A system for producing a reduced sugar coated food producthaving a reduced amount of food product clumping, the system comprising:a source of a food product; a coating drum for receiving the foodproduct, the coating drum having a first applicator in a first regionand a second applicator in a second region; wherein the first applicatoris fluidly connected to a source of a first syrup and the secondapplicator is fluidly connected to a source of a second syrup; andwherein one of the first syrup and the second syrup is a non-sucrosecarbohydrate syrup and the other of the first syrup and the second syrupis a sucrose syrup.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the non-sucrosecarbohydrate syrup includes maltodextrin, corn syrup, glucose syrup,soluble fiber, soluble and insoluble starches, cocoa and itsderivatives, natural and artificial flavors, natural and artificialsweeteners, natural and artificial colors, and combinations thereof. 10.The system of claim 8, wherein the first region is located upstream ofthe second region relative to the movement of food product through thecoating drum.
 11. The system of claim 8, wherein the system is devoid ofany active drying mechanisms positioned between the first applicator andthe second applicator.
 12. The system of claim 8, wherein the sucrosesyrup is applied at a temperature of about 105 to about 120° C. and thenon-sucrose carbohydrate syrup is applied at a temperature of about 50to about 110° C.
 13. The system of claim 8, wherein the sucrose syrup isapplied at a rate of about 15 to about 65% of the rate of the foodproduct, by weight, and the non-sucrose carbohydrate syrup is applied ata rate of about 15 to about 65% of the rate of the food product, byweight.
 14. The system of claim 8, wherein the temperature of thesucrose syrup is about 10 to about 60° C. higher than a temperature ofthe non-sucrose carbohydrate syrup.
 15. A reduced sugar coated foodproduct comprising: a food product base coated with a reduced sugarcoating, wherein the reduced sugar coating comprises a dried non-sucrosecarbohydrate syrup and a dried sucrose syrup, wherein the reduced sugarcoating has a brix of less than 90, and wherein the reduced sugarcoating has a white opaque crystallized appearance.
 16. The reducedsugar coated food product of claim 15, wherein the food product base isa cereal.
 17. The reduced sugar coated food product of claim 15, whereinthe reduced sugar coating is applied according a process comprising:applying a sucrose syrup to discrete food product base from a firstapplicator; applying a non-sucrose carbohydrate syrup to the discretefood base pieces from a second applicator either simultaneously with orsequentially with the sucrose syrup applied from the first applicator;wherein the food product base is not actively dried between applying thesucrose syrup and the non-sucrose carbohydrate syrup; and wherein acombination of the sucrose syrup and the non-sucrose carbohydrate syruphas a brix of less than about 90 obtained from about 20 to about 50weight percent sucrose and about 20 to about 50 percent non-sucrosecarbohydrates, by weight of the total syrups combined.
 18. The reducedsugar coated food product of claim 17, wherein the non-sucrosecarbohydrate syrup includes maltodextrin, corn syrup, glucose syrup,soluble fiber, soluble and insoluble starches, cocoa and itsderivatives, natural and artificial flavors, natural and artificialsweeteners, natural and artificial colors, and combinations thereof. 19.The reduced sugar coated food product of claim 17, wherein the sucrosesyrup is applied at a temperature of about 105 to about 120° C. and thenon-sucrose carbohydrate syrup is applied at a temperature of about 50to about 110° C.
 20. The reduced sugar coated food product of claim 17,wherein the temperature of the sucrose syrup is about 10 to about 60° C.higher than a temperature of the non-sucrose carbohydrate syrup.